


Falling

by chaoticlogic



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Flirting, Pining, Raihan is a fanboy, Raihan is smooth, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlogic/pseuds/chaoticlogic
Summary: Falling in love is easy...It's falling out of love that's the hard part.As you try to run from old feelings you meet someone who is determined to bring the spark back into your eyes. Raihan isn't sure what happened in the past and he doesn't care. He's got one shot to make you his and he's going to take it.
Relationships: Raihan x reader, Raihan/Reader
Comments: 75
Kudos: 726





	1. Begin at the End

You gaze in disbelief as, with a final fire blast, Hau’s Incinaroar sends your Ninetales to the ground. Your eyes widen and you summon her back into her Pokeball robotically. You smile at the new victor and you know, for the first time in three years what freedom tastes like. You walk towards Hau, no longer a boy of fifteen, but a young man of eighteen, and Alola’s new champion. You feel nothing but relief as you shake his hand and congratulate the shell-shocked male in front of you. 

You can practically feel the world jump to life as a new champion joins the ranks. You walk out of the arena for the last time. You wish you could say it’s bittersweet, but all you can feel is the joy of escape.

The hallway leading to the locker room is long and dark. You notice a figure leaning against the wall near the end, you don’t pause just keep walking until his voice pierces the silence. 

“Did you throw the match?”

You stop and turn towards Kukui, your friend and co-worker, the man you had fallen in love with. The man you could never have. 

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me…”

“It doesn’t matter if I did or I didn’t… I’m no longer the champion of the Alola region. As far as I’m concerned I’m a free woman now.”

“You make it sound like we’ve been holding you prisoner.”

“I came here to escape the limelight and yet you were determined to throw me into it all over again. I did as you asked! I built your league, I chose and trained your gym leaders and I put Alola on the map. I would like to be left alone now.”

“(Name)... what happened? I thought you liked it here… You’ve been so distracted lately… and now your loss…”

“Hau will be a great Champion, he grew up on the islands and his grandfather will help him. He will be a wonderful leader and a shining light to trainers here. Don’t worry, your league will be fine.”

“But-”

“Kukui I need to go. I can’t stay here anymore…” You mutter forlornly as you continue on your way leaving him to his thoughts in the darkness. 

That night as you sit gazing at the TV screen a ping on your phone alerts you to a new message. 

Hello (Name)! 

This is Leon, Champion of the Galar region! It has been brought to my attention that another champion has taken over your mantle. Your final battle as champion was absolutely smashing, by the way! The Galar League would like to invite you to consider heading our own league. We are aware you helped to build The Alolan League from the ground up and after the recent loss of our own chairman we are looking for someone to take his place! We believe you would be perfect! We understand that this is a large commitment, so we would like you to come to Galar to get a feel of our League. All expenses will be paid by the committee, of course!

I look forward to your reply!  
Leon 

You gaze down at the email before you and you can’t help but feel desperation come over you. A way out! A purpose! A distraction! Better than all of that… An entirely new region away from the man you aren’t supposed to be in love with. 

Your reply back is simple: 

I’ll leave tomorrow.

(Name)

Your escape from Alola is quick and quiet. You are dressed in a pair of ripped blue jeans, with a black top and a blanket like ruana along with your combat boots. You board the plane that almost no one is on and sigh in relief as the plane takes off. Perhaps you will feel more guilty about running off without an explanation later, but right now you need the solitude. 

***The Galar Region***

Raihan can hardly believe his eyes as he watches the replay of the championship match. The (Name) (L.Name) lost to some kid? Raihan is mad about her and had looked up to her for the last couple of years. She is cool, confident, and funny with this cunning wit that he loved. He loved to watch her battle because it was always wild. He could tell that she had grown up battling with these intense strategies and insanely powerful pokemon. They were all powerhouses in their own right; his favorite though, is definitely her Garchomp.

He had noticed the last few months things had been different. She seemed bored in her battles and where she had always been quick-witted and charming during the post-battle interviews, she was now short with her answers. He was a little worried about her, but he had also never met her before, so it’s not like he can just slide into her DMs and start asking personal questions. This last battle had confirmed his suspicions though. She looked relieved when she lost. The champion that he looks up to would never be relieved to lose. Raihan frowns over his eggs as he continues to watch the report. 

The distinct ring of his phone woke him from his musings. Raihan would normally ignore a call so early in the morning, but it’s Leon and he had been helping him look for someone to replace the chairman. 

“What could you possibly need this early?” Raihan asks as he answers the phone. 

“Raihan! She’s coming! She’s on a plane and she’s arriving this evening!”

“Who is?” 

“(Name) (L.Name)!”

“What? How?” he asks in bewilderment. 

“I sent her an email last night! She replied while I was asleep and she said she’s leaving today! It’s a ten-hour flight from Alola! She’s going to be here tonight!”

“She lost her title yesterday! How is she already getting on a plane!”

“I don’t know! But we need to book a room and arrange tours and dinners! You know she would be perfect to run the League! And we’ve been looking for months!”

“I know man… I know… Let’s just take this one step at a time…” Raihan says with a sigh as he leaves his uneaten eggs on the table and heads to his room to change. He hadn’t been expecting his idol to arrive in Galar tonight, but he’s not complaining about it. 

***Later***

You pull the ruana closer around you and adjust the sunglasses. Your steps are quick and sure as you head towards the front of the airport. The nice thing about being a champion is the perks it affords you as you flash your credentials. You walk over to the luggage carousel and pluck your bag from the belt when it comes around. 

You notice a small crowd formed around a couple of people. Upon closer inspection, you see Champion Leon and the eighth Gym Leader Raihan. You walk closer to them and only stop when you hear a small gasp. You look down at the small girl and smile as she squeals.

“Y-you’re- (Name)!!”

“I am! And who are you? You ask as you bend down to speak to her. You don’t notice the silence that has taken over the crowd, or the awe in which they look upon you. 

“I’m Claire! You’re my favorite!” she declares in excitement. 

“Why thank you! Do you have a favorite?” you ask indicating the pokemon on your belt.

“Aurora!” she squeals. 

You tap the top of one of the Pokeballs and Aurora pops out. She gazes around at the crowd before addressing the 8-year-old girl in front of her. You smile at the look of wonder and awe on her face. 

“She’s...beautiful!”

Aurora sits regally beside you then yips at the little girl and bowing her head. Claire looks up at you, you give her a nod of permission then she takes a hesitant step forward and gingerly touches the soft fur on Aurora’s head. 

“She’s fierce in battle, but a total sweetheart otherwise.” 

Aurora lets out a soft cry as she looks back up at you. You run your fingers through her soft fur. 

“Thank you!” Claire says as he gazes up at you in wonder. 

“You’re welcome!” you say as you pull a card from your pack. You sign it before you hand it to her making her gasp. 

“This the best day!” She exclaims as she rushes back to her parents. They look over at you with gratitude before beaming down at their daughter. 

Aurora taps her Pokeball with her nose and a moment later she is nestled inside against your hip. 

“That was...really cool of you to do,” Raihan says as he walks up beside you. He takes the bag from the floor beside you silently offering to carry it for you. 

You shrug in reply, “She’s sweet and how can I turn down such a face?” 

“I wasn’t expecting you so soon, but I’m glad you could make it! I’m Leon!” Leon says as he steps forward. 

“I’m sorry it was such short notice, but I need a break from Alola. I know I didn’t really give you any time to prepare anything, so just take your time with things. I’m in no rush.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re hungry! There is a great steakhouse near here if you would like to go? My treat of course!”

You give Leon a soft smile, “That’s very kind of you to offer, but I’m tired from the flight. Perhaps something quicker?”

Raihan, who had been letting Leon do the talking and silently psyching himself up, interjects, “What about pizza?”

“A man after my own heart…” you say as you give him a smile, he happily returns it.

Sitting at the pizza place you feel yourself relax a little bit. Leon is doing most of the talking and Raihan seems to be shooting you glances every now and then but doesn’t speak much. 

“I was thinking that you could take a day tomorrow to get adjust, maybe we could show you the town. Then we will start the tour of the gyms and give you a breakdown of the League.” You rest your head on your hands as you listen to Leon. You can tell both of them are nervous, most likely due to the upcoming Gym Challenge. Their former chairman has been stripped of his title and is currently atoning for, well almost destroying the world. They need someone to run things, and you can tell from the bags under Leon’s eyes that he’s been burning the candle at both ends. 

“Don’t be so nervous, I think this will be a good fit for me. I’m mostly curious about the challenges and your gym leaders. My understanding is you don’t have an elite four? You do a challenger competition then a tournament leading up to the championship battle. It’s a little different than what I’m used to, but I can roll with it,” you say with a shrug.

Leon’s shoulders sag in relief, “I’m glad you think so, things have been crazy trying to figure out what needs to be done for the upcoming challenge. I don’t think I can coordinate that and fulfill my champion duties. Raihan and several other gym leaders have been helping out, but they won’t have time for long. I think you would be a great fit and I hope you think so too.”

“No, of course not, you all have things that need to be done for your own gyms. Also, I’m not trying to be presumptions but it sounds like the job is mine if I want it.”

“It is,” Leon says with finality. 

“I think that was the easiest job interview I’ve ever had,” you say with a smile as you take a bite of the pizza in front of you. 

Both men look relieved as they bite into their own food. 

The next day dawns with a text message from Leon stating he’s got some business to attend to, but Raihan will be showing you around. So you’re not surprised when Raihan is waiting in the lobby for you with a cup of coffee and a danish. 

“Did you bring me coffee and food? Watch out… I may decide to marry you on this tour.”

He laughs as he hands the treats over to you, “I wouldn’t be too opposed to that…”

You pretend not to see his wince and the silent chiding he gives himself. 

“Oh? So you like getting married to women you just met?” you say with a smile over your coffee cup, teasing him. 

“Ehh more like getting married to women I admire. I’m kinda a huge fan of yours…” he trails off and looks down obviously embarrassed. 

You smile as he attempts to hide his face from you, “I think that’s awesome that you’re a fan. You’re a really amazing trainer so it’s an honor that you like the way I battle.”

He looks up in surprise, “Really? You’ve seen me battle?”

“Of course! I don’t want to play favorites or anything… but I’ve been hoping you’d take the title for a few years now. You’ve got a… wildness… that Leon doesn’t have. Kinda reminds me of...me…”

“I’m not going to lie… Several of your strategies have inspired a few of mine. That battle you had with Lance a few years ago… That was intense!”

You laugh, “Lance is an old friend, every time we get together I goad him into a battle. He taught me a lot about dragons and battling in general, he’s a little stiff, but he’s great at what he does. He mostly just thinks I’m the little sister he never wanted.”

“You know a ton of great champions and trainers don’t you?”

You shrug as you head off down the street towards the taxi he called, “It comes with the territory… When you make champion I’ll make sure you meet the right champions to further your career.”

“When?”

“We both know it’s going to happen… You have too much passion and drive for it not to.”

Raihan stops at the casual way you proclaimed his victory over Leon as if it had already happened. As if it’s set in stone. Do you really have that much confidence in him? 

“Well if you keep talking like that then we just might have to get married today,” he says with a laugh as he bumps your shoulder. 

You giggle as you climb into the taxi, and for just a moment you feel light and free with the giddiness of hope that this is where you need to be.


	2. London Bridge is Falling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan's a flirt... but so are you.

You honestly can’t remember the last time that you had fun while you battled. Being a trainer then a champion was something you strove to do because you loved the thrill of battle. And yet, you can’t recall the last time it wasn’t something you forced yourself to do. The thrill and the excitement had long since vanished. It was one of the reasons you moved to Alola. They didn’t have a league and you could just focus on your pokemon and yourself. That was before Kukui…

You glance down at your phone as it rings for the 5th time that morning and ignore the call sending it straight to voicemail. The battle tower in Wyndom looms before you. You smile in excitement as you look over to Raihan before you rush in. He’s right behind you a moment later. 

“You said you’re a fan… Who’s your favorite?”

“Havoc, your Garchomp.”

You smile as you put him in the front. A small crowd forms around the two of you. With a smirk, you enter the arena and proceed to demolish the tower. Perhaps it was unfair of you but it’s been a while since you were able to let loose. Your pokemon loved every encounter and preened with every victory. Havoc had way too much fun and seemed to thrill at the battles. Once you reach the top you feel yourself take a breath as you take the victory. With a sigh, you return to the bottom floor where Raihan and a huge crowd had formed. They are all silent as you send them a sweet smile and walk out the door. Raihan trailing along behind shocked. 

“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life…”

Your laugh is musical, “I’m sure there are far cooler things that you’ve seen.”

“No… That was it.”

You chuckle as you shake your head, “So what now?”

“Lunch?” 

“Yeah! Beating a battle tower makes a girl hungry…” 

“I’ll say…” He says as he takes you to a nearby seafood restaurant. 

“You know this might be the best first date I’ve ever had…” you muse as you plop some dessert in your mouth.

“First date?!” he asks before choking on his drink. 

“Yeah… I mean you want to get married we should probably start at the beginning…”

Raihan hides his face as he chuckles awkwardly, “I’m never living that down am I?”

“Of course not…”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“No… What makes you say that?”

“Well, there’s always that guy near you.”

“Kukui?”

“No, not the professor, that really tall handsome guy… Kinda looks like an anime character…”

“...”

“There are all those rumors about the two of you…”

“OH! You mean Joker…”

“Joker?”

“Yeah! Joker, my Zoroark! He can cast illusions. I had an overzealous fan a few years ago and Joker cast an illusion to get him to back off. It’s kinda stuck, now he will cast illusions every once in a while just to mess with the media. He has fun doing it, and it helps to control the crazies.” 

“That’s… your pokemon?”

“Yep!”

“And you just let him mess with the world?”

You just shrug, “It’s a harmless prank.”

“You aren’t afraid it’s going to….hurt your love life?”

“What love life? I’ve spent the last three years running a league and being its champion. Who has time to meet people when an entire region relies on you?”

“You sound like Lee…”

“It’s the way things are… If anyone told me what being a champion entailed then I would have passed… It’s no wonder Red disappears into the mountains so regularly.”

“You know Red?!

“We’ve battled a few times…”

“So were you serious about this being our first date, cause I think I’m in love…”

You throw your head back with a laugh, “I bet the girls love you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Oh… cause you’re smooth… it’s too bad I’m immune to smooth.”

“Immune to smooth? What does that even mean?” he asks with a smirk as he leans forward and rests his hand on top of yours. 

You lift your foot and brush it up his leg stopping when it reaches his inner thigh, you smirk as he gets very still and swallows. Your eyes are locked with his and you part your lips giving him a sultry look as you lean into him. 

“What-” he begins.

You slip your foot from his thigh and take your napkin and wipe the corner of his mouth, “You have crumbs here.”

He leans back and turns away from you. You let out a sweet giggle as you lean casually back in your seat. 

“You okay there dragon boy?”

“Dragon boy?”

“I’ll think of something better later.”

He lets out a scoff and you smirk as you hold his gaze, he looks away again and your smile widens. 

“Can we go shopping? I need some new clothes… Everything I have isn’t warm enough.”

“Uhh sure, I’ll just get the bill…” he practically leaps from the table. 

“Sweet I’ll meet you outside.”

Flurstering Raihan was more fun than you had had in a long time. After being expected to be so busy and so serious all the time, it was nice to let loose a little. Did you probably take it too far? Maybe… You doubt he was complaining though. You know how men like Raihan work. He’s a ladies man and he likes to fluster the women in his presence. You were only playing along, it’s not your fault that you’re a better player than he is. 

“You ready?” Raihan asks as he comes up behind you and murmurs in your ear. 

You glance over your shoulder in boredom before you turn to face him fully, “Of course.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope.”

“I’ll get you back before the day is over.”

“Of course you will Dragon Boy…”

He sends you a smile, his sharp canine showing.

The two of you head down the much busier streets. Raihan gets quite a bit of attention from pretty much everyone he passes. He loves it, you can tell from the way that he waves or smirks a the girls he passes. He gives little boys autographs and stops to talk to trainers that approach him. You mostly stay in the background content to be left alone. You’re not opposed to fan service, it’s just annoying that all you want to do is go shopping and the world won’t let you. 

You finally make it to the boutique and you heave a sigh as walk in away from the prying eyes of the public. 

“Welcome!”

“Oh thank Arceus!” you exclaim.

The girl behind the counter looks confused but you just send a smile and head off to find something you like. After you have gathered several outfits you head to the fitting room.

“What do you think about this one?” you ask as you open the curtain. 

Raihan looks stunned when you walk out wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a cami with a sweetheart neckline and a red jacket. 

“Looks good…” he says after he got his bearings back. 

“Hmm…” you hum before you go to try on another outfit.

The next one is a cobalt blue form-fitting dress that had the man going wild. 

“That’s a good one...too…” he says as he looks away. 

“One more!” 

You pop out wearing a black skirt with a deep red cami and a black blazer. 

“Everything looks great on you, you know that!”

“Aww thanks, Raihan!” you say a smile and a wink. The man thought his heart was going to come out of his chest. 

**~**~**~**~**~**

“Come on… I have a surprise for you,” Raihan says after he had all your purchases sent back to the inn you’re staying at. 

“Oh? Is it our wedding?”

“Could be… You ready to lock it down?” he asks as he pulls you along behind him. 

“I can do better…” you tease. 

“Than me? No way!”

“Speak for yourself Dragon Boy!”

“What’s with the boy shit? You know I’m a man right?”

“Oh? Have I offended the great and terrible Raihan?”

“Dragon Boy makes me sound like some wannabe… You’re going to have to come up with something better if you’re going to be my wife.”

“I’ll get on that…”

Raihan stops in front of the sky wheel and you gaze up at it in wonder. 

“Ready?” he asks as he glances back at you. 

You nod and the two of you make your way onto the sky wheel just as the sun starts to set. 

“You know… this would be the perfect place to get married…” you say as you glance over to him a smirk on your face. 

He sends you a boyish smile as he moves your hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear, “Is that what you want?” he whispers as he draws his thumb down your cheek then over your jawline. 

“Yes…” you breathe out, “Call Leon…”

Raihan pulls back and laughs and you do, you lean against him in hysterics.

“You would marry Leon over me? It would take 3 hours for him to get here from that light pole,” he says indicating a light on the bridge. 

“Probably not… He seems nice but he’s not my type…”

“Oh? Who is your type?” he asks looking genuinely interested. 

You look away from Raihan and back over the city. You currently had fifteen missed calls from the man you fell in love with. 

You let out a light scoff, “That doesn’t matter because I don’t have time for such things anyway.”

Raihan frowns, “Doesn’t mean you don’t have a type… Plus you deserve someone to take care of you too.”

You glance over at him, “Someone to take care of me? Who would want to do that?” You can’t keep the bitterness from your voice and you clamp your mouth feeling the playful mood die.

He frowns at your question, “Why wouldn’t someone who loved you not want to do that?” 

Your gaze is guarded as you hold his stare, “Hmm… I suppose that’s the question isn’t it?”

Raihan moves closer to you and puts his arm around you pulling you against his much larger frame. You’re surprised when you feel a sense of protection coming from him. He rests his chin on the top of your head and you feel yourself stiffen at the contact. 

“Raihan what-”

“Shh… just… I don’t know what happened to you to make you think no one wants you but that’s bullshit. You’ve always been so strong, but has anyone ever stopped long enough to allow you to breathe? It must be hard having to be strong for everyone all the time.”

“How do you…”

“Leon puts on a brave face, but he gets so tired sometimes. When he gets a day off all he wants to do is sleep. I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t running around having to do Rose’s bidding or taking care of a catastrophe or making public appearances. Even just going out for a beer is an event where people won’t leave us alone. You’ve been doing for 3 years what Leon has done for a few months. I know you’re tired…”

You just nod unsure of why you’re opening up to a man you just met, “I am...I’m exhausted.”

“Don’t worry… I’m going to find a way for you to get your spark back…”

“My spark?”

“Yeah! You didn’t become my favorite trainer because of that cute butt of yours… even if it did help…” he says as he scratches his cheek looking innocently up at the ceiling. 

“So you’re a butt guy?”

He sends you a wolfish grin in reply. 

“Hmm… interesting…”

“Why is that interesting?”

“Just is…”

“Why do I feel like I’m being judged right now?”

“Because you are.”

“What does that mean?!”

“Nothing…” you say innocently. 

Raihan pouts as he just pulls you closer to him, “Nothing my ass…”

“I mean you have a nice ass too… but not as nice as Leon’s.”

“Did you just say Leon has a better ass than me?!”

“Yes?”

“I’m hurt! He can beat me in battle and deny me the championship, but he can’t have a better ass than me!”

You laugh as you wrap your arms around his waist and rest yourself a little farther against him snuggling against him, “You forgot that I’m going to marry him too.”

“That’s it! Get off of me you can’t use me for my body while insulting me.”

You giggle as you go to pull away.

“Damn girl I was kidding! Come back!”

You laugh even louder as he possessively pulls you back against him. He sends you a devious smile as he pulls you into his lap and rests his chin back on your head. 

“Someone is a little possessive…”

“Well… I’ve had my eye on you for years… what makes you think I’m okay with letting you go now?”

“Years?”

“Uhh… well…”

“You turn to look at him, “You’ve been my fan for years??”

He looks away unable to meet your eye, “Yeah… Ever since…”

“Ever since….?”

“Ever since you destroyed everyone in the Unova League…”

“That was years ago…”

“Yeah well… I like your battle style…”

“Umm hmm…” you say with a smirk. 

“What does that little ‘umm hmm’ mean?” he asks defensively.

“Nothing…”

“Damn woman… You’re going to be the death of me…”

“Nope, I’m going to be the death of Leon… He’s my future husband…”

“Damn… that’s cold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love me Love me! Say that you Love me! I hope you guys liked this chapter! It did not come out at all like I thought it would but I like it all the same! I like the chemistry... It going to be interesting between these two because Raihan is somewhere between a shit and a soft boi so there's that... Anyway comment to tell you thoughts!


	3. Cry for Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past comes back to haunt you and the future is pulling you forward. You can't say you hate it...

Gazing down at the phone on the table you watched as it lit up again for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. You heave a sigh when Hau’s name pops up on the screen. Leaning forward you pull the phone towards you and answer it. 

“Hello?”

“(NAME!) YOU ANSWERED!” his voice loud in his excitement.

“Yeah sorry for leaving so abruptly… and the radio silence… I got a job opportunity and had to act fast. Things got crazy quickly. How are you? How’s being champion?”

“I-I wish you were here… When will you be back?” His voice is rife with self-consciousness. He’s scared.

“I…don’t know…” your answer is hesitant. 

“But! I need you here! We all do! We miss you!”

“And I miss you guys too, but I need to do this for me. I need this opportunity.”

“Is this because I took your job?” he sounds guilty.

“Hau… Alola is no place for me anymore and I need to move on. This has nothing to do with you.”

“But…you left… Are you mad at Kukui? He said something seemed to be bothering you…”

“I’m not mad at Kukui, I just needed to leave. I have opportunities here that I didn’t in Alola. I need a break and to heal from some things.”

“Heal? What happened?”

“I’m tired Hau… I’m just overwhelmed with things and I have some things to sort through…”

“So you won’t talk to me about it, what about grandpa?”

Thinking of Hala, the island Kahuna and Hau’s grandfather makes you feel even guiltier. He had become like a grandfather to you and while he had encouraged you to leave, you hadn’t told him of your plans either. 

“Hau, I’m going to be fine. If I need to talk to Hala about anything I’ll call him okay?”

“So you aren’t coming back?”

“I have been offered a job in Galar and I’m taking it.”

“But isn’t that guy their champion?! What are you even going to do!?”

“I’m the new…chairwoman… of their league.”

He’s silent for a moment. 

“You’re really not coming back…”

“…No…I’m not…”

“I’ve got to go… I have a match… I’ll…”

“Hau! Wait!”

“Bye (Name)…”

You close your eyes in pain at the sound of the call ending. He’ll be fine, you know this, but you wish you had handled this differently. In your desperation to get away from Kukui you had left everyone else without an explanation too. 

“I can’t believe I fell in love with a married man…” you grumble to yourself as you throw your phone onto the table. Rotom buzzes in annoyance and you quietly apologize to him. 

Your phone rings again this time it’s Leon calling. 

You answer it and put on a brave face, “Hey Leon! How are you?”

“Hey! I’m good! I heard you had a good day with Raihan!”

“I did!” you say with a laugh remembering the banter between you and the Dragon-type gym leader. 

“Well, we’re going to start touring the gyms tomorrow! I figured we would start with the first three and then go down the line. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good! How long will the tour take? I need to start looking for a place to live and I should probably start prepping for the next tournament right? It’s a month away?”

“Don’t worry! This shouldn’t take more than a week… You can also scout places to live while we travel around!” 

“Sounds good! What time can I expect you tomorrow?”

“Does eight work for you?”

“Yeah that works!”

“Perfect! I’ll meet you tomorrow morning then!”

You say your goodbyes and the two of you hang up. The light padding of Aurora your Alolan Ninetails alerts you to her presence. Ember your non-Aloan Ninetails following close behind. The duo finds themselves on either side of you on the couch. You lean back as the fire and ice foxes endeavor to curl up next to you. 

“You know the two of you aren’t Vulpix anymore right?”

They both look mildly affronted before they settle themselves half on you and half on the couch. 

“Yes… well, I’m so excited about this bonding time…”

They promptly ignore you and continue to lay happily in your lap. You close your eyes and recall the day you just had. Raihan seems to be a fun guy, you can see yourself being friends with him. You’ll need those here, friends. You recall the way he held you while you watched the sun go down and you try to recall a recent moment when you laughed as much as you did today. A ping interrupts your musings and Rotom hovers in front of you. 

Dragon Boi: So did you have fun on our first date? Is tomorrow too soon for a second?

You: It was a rather good first date… too bad there wasn’t a kiss at the end… Where is that Leon?

Dragon Boi: Still?! You know if it’s a kiss you want I can be there in about twenty minutes right? 

You: Twenty minutes? I thought you were in Hammerlocke?

Dragon Boi: I’m staying with Leon tonight since we’re starting the tour so EARLY tomorrow!

You: Oh? Tell him to come. 

You: I’ll be waiting eagerly!

Dragon Boi: I thought we had something but you’re using me to get to Leon, aren’t you?

You: Yep. 

Dragon Boi: Damn that’s cold… I thought we had a better time than that…

Dragon Boi: I thought we were going to get married, but if you really want Leon…

You: So dramatic…. 

Dragon Boi: Dramatic?!

Dragon Boi: Naw I am… I’m not gonna lie to you about that…

You: hahahahahaaa

You: I did have fun today and if you’re there tomorrow I’m sure I’ll enjoy the tour. 

Dragon Boi: Wait.

Dragon Boi: did you just ADMIT to having fun…

Dragon Boi: With ME

You: Well not if you’re going to make a big deal out of it…

Dragon Boi: Still.

Dragon Boi: You had fun today.

Dragon Boi: With me.

You: Yes…. congratulations… 

Dragon Boi: Thank you thank you

Dragon Boi: Our wedding will be spectacular

You: All I ask is that we fly away on your Flygon after the ceremony. I want a truly memorable exit!

Dragon Boi: Ugh! I woman after my own heart. You can have anything you want my queen!

You: Queen?

Dragon Boi: Don’t like it?

You: Oh no… quite the opposite… I could get used to that…

Dragon Boi: Good. You deserve to be someone’s queen. I don’t mind volunteering for the role of your king either… just sayin…

You: Very funny Raihan…

Dragon Boi: I’m being serious! I’m just sayin if the position is open… I will happily fill it. 

You: I’ll consider it…

You: Good night Raihan…

Dragon King: Good night my queen. 

You bite your lip to keep the smile at bay, you can’t get involved with a man you just met as a means of getting over Kukui. Even if that man is sweet, funny, charming, handsome, strong and kind. Nope. Absolutely not. 

Your screen lights up indicating Kukui is calling you and without even thinking about it you mumble the word that you’ve felt all along. 

“Reject.”

Falling into bed that night your pokemon curl themselves around you the best they can. They’ve been extra concerned about you lately and they rarely leave your side. You can feel their protective auras surround you and you love it. You love them. You don’t like that they are worried, but feeling their concern makes you feel loved. 

The next morning you are greeted by both Leon and Raihan in the lobby. Raihan is quick to greet you with breakfast and coffee, both of which you take happily. 

“Ahh my hero has brought me coffee again!”

“Of course milady!”

You chuckle as you take the breakfast sandwich from him and the coffee. Leon chuckles at the interaction before he interjects. 

“You kids ready to go?”

“Hush Leon, I’m being pampered right now! Can’t you see that? You get me up at this ungodly hour and then try to deny me being showered with adoration. I think not.”

“You heard the lady, Leon… She wants me to adore her… this might take a while.”

Leon rolls his eyes at yours and Raihan’s antics, “The taxi is waiting.”

“Oh? Are we taking the goth bird taxi?” You ask as you take a bite of your sandwich.

“They are called Corviknight, and yes we are,” Leon answers.

“I want one… Where can I get one?”

“They are pretty common…They evolve from Rookidee.”

“Hmm… Rookidee…”

“We should be able to find you one today,” Raihan pipes in.

“That would be delightful! I really want to train some Galarian Pokemon…”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Dreepy! An Applin! I heard they evolve depending on the type of apple they eat. A Ponyta…” you continue to list the pokemon as you head out to the taxi.

“Dreepys are kind of hard to find… I’ll show you where they like to hide,” Leon says as he opens the door for you. 

“I have a pair of Volcarona…. Nothing is more annoying than searching for their annoying ass… I’m sure I’ll be fine!”

“You have 2?!” exclaims Leon in shock. 

“Yep… I have a pair. I was going to breed them, but they hate each other.”

“They hate each other?!” says Raihan in surprise. 

“Oh yeah… if I put them anywhere near one another they just fight.”

“That’s insane! Why don’t you ever battle with them?”

“Well I had a League sanctioned team that I had to use in Alola, and they weren’t on it. It was mostly to keep people from trying to go out and catch them. They live at the foot of volcanoes so not exactly the safest place for young trainers.”

“I can’t believe you have one let alone two!”

“I got bored…”

“Bored?”

“Yes… bored…”

“So you caught two pseudo legendary Pokemon?!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“I really just want to know when our wedding is…” Raihan interjects as he gazes at you as if the sun rises and sets with you. 

“Wedding?!”

“Quiet Leon, can’t you see the man’s trying to propose?”

“Propose?!”

You arrive at Turrfield and head into the gym. You are greeted by a stout looking trainer with a dazzling smile. That’s why he’s the first gym leader, he instantly radiates comfort. 

“Milo! This is (Name), our new chairwoman. (Name)! This is Milo, he’s our first gym leader!”

“Very nice to meet you, Milo! I’m excited about touring your gym! Especially since I really want to know more about the gym challenges.”

“Likewise! Let me take you on the tour and explain my logic for the challenge.”

You stop in front of a large field and notice a bunch of sheep-like pokemon. 

“How cute!” you exclaim as you approach them. 

“My family is Wooloo farmers, we raise them for their wool. My challenge is to have the trainers herd about twenty of these little guys to the other end of the field.”

“What is your reasoning for having them herd them?”

“It shows patience. These young trainers have a long road ahead and a lot of work to do. Not to mention training new Pokemon is not easy. They need to prove they have the patience and discipline to advance.”

“That’s an excellent point!”

“So you approve?”

“It doesn’t matter if I approve, it’s your gym, you clearly know what you’re doing.”

“Why don’t you give it a shot?” Raihan asks as he comes up behind you. 

“Huh?” you murmur as you turn back to look at him.

“That’s a great idea!” exclaims Leon. 

“I don’t…”

“I think you should give it a shot!”

“Oh dear…” you mutter. 

You eventually relent and take your place. 

“This is ridiculous…” you mutter as you begin to herd the Wooloo towards the gate. You huff as one goes rogue and you have to chase after it. A couple of others break away and you have to roll them back. After a little back and forth you finally get all twenty at the other end. You trip and hear the men laughing at you as you pull yourself back up. The Yamper end up scaring the Wooloo and you pout as about five of them break away and scatter. With a huff, you rush back down the field until you are back at the beginning. 

“You know the Wooloo is down there?” Questions Raihan as he holds back a laugh. 

“Very funny…” you pout as you grab his and Leon’s hands and drag them behind you. 

“You’re going to help me though! Chop chop Milo!”

The three guys follow you out onto the field and you all head over to the Wooloo who are eyeing you all warily. The four of you end up laughing as you chase the wooly Pokemon up and down the field. Each one of you getting in the others way and changing directions at a moment’s notice. You notice Raihan’s Rotom filming the event as you all rush around happily chasing after the Wooloo. When you had all of the Wooloo at the end of the field you all collapse at the end and laugh until you can’t breathe. 

“Was that what you were expecting?”

“It was something all right!” 

You leave the gym chuckling to yourself before you all head over to the Hulbury gym and meet Nessa. The Raging Wave is everything you would expect her to be. 

“So, you’re whipping these boys into shape?” She asks as the two of you head out of her gym. The afternoon sun drying your damp clothes after completing her gym challenge.

“Oh, you know it…”

She laughs as she bumps your arm, “I love it! So the real question is when are you going to battle Leon? You could be our next champion…”

You chuckle, “I have no intention of being a champion right now… Perhaps in the future, I’ll take him on, but right now I’m just enjoying life.”

“Like you could beat ‘The Unbeatable Champion,’” Leon says as he poses. 

“Are you posing? For no reason…?” you ask in confusion. 

“He does that… So weird…” you mumble before waving to Nessa. 

“Let’s get lunch soon! I’ll need some girl time before this is all over!” 

Raihan drapes his arm around your shoulder as you head off down the road. 

“You got it!” Nessa yells back. 

“Aww, you made a friend…” Raihan says as he pulls you close to him. 

“It would seem so…”

“That’s good, I’m glad it was Nessa?”

“Why is that?”

“Well, Nessa and I go way back…”

“And?”

“No reason…”

“He’s already asked Nessa to put a good word in for him,” Leon says with a grin as he walks along behind you.

“He did?!”

“BRO?!”

“Oh yeah…”

“BRO?!”

You throw your head back and laugh, “Dragon Boy is pulling out all the stops…”

Raihan looks away from you and goes to pull his arm back. 

You chuckle as you wrap your arms around his waist and look up at him through your lashes, “You know Rai…”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t need a good word…”

“I don’t?”

“Of course not… We’re getting married remember?” You ask as you pull away from him and rush down the street. 

“Hey wait!”

“No way!! I heard there were Vulpix at the Motostoke gym! I want to pet the baby floofs!” you yell over your shoulder as you rush off down the street.

“So how bad do you have it?” questions Leon with a laugh. 

“Pretty bad… I mean I’m pretty sure she’s perfect…”

“Yeah, I figured… you’ve already proposed and you’ve only known her two days!”

Raihan laughs as he scratches the back of his neck, he can see your silhouette as you rush down the pathway back towards Motostoke.

“Yeah… that’s a… uh…. Running joke…”

“Well, she seems to be running with it too…”

“Nah… She’s not serious… She’s been hurt and she’s dealing with herself right now.”

“Then be there for her. Be the friend she needs now and who knows man, when she’s ready maybe you will get the chance to propose to her?”

Raihan laughs, “So we’re just jumping straight into marriage.”

“Were you or were you not straight-up pampering her this morning? Just adore her and treat her like she’s the most sublime woman you’ve ever met and if things fall into place then you know.”

“She is the most sublime woman I’ve ever met…”

“Are you saying that as her fan or as a man? Remember, just like you’re more than ‘Raihan the Dragon-Type Gym Leader,’ she’s more than ‘(Name) The Alolan Champion.’”

“I know that!” 

“Just… remember to treat her like a person and not just your idol. She’ll love that too.”

“Since when did your single ass get good at giving dating advice?”

Leon glared over at Raihan, “I date!”

“Since when?”

“Shut up…”

By the time the duo arrived at the gym Kabu was chuckling as you clutched about three Vulpix to your chest. 

“I want to take them all home with me!” you exclaim as you bury your face against the soft fur. 

“I don’t think you need 5 more Vulpix when you have two Ninetails already,” Leon says in exasperation. 

You gasp dramatically, “Leon! How dare you? You can NEVER have too many Vulpix!”

Raihan laughs, “What if we head to the wild area tomorrow and find a Dreepy for you?”

You narrow your eyes but nod, “That’s acceptable.”

“Why do I feel like we just got played?” questions Leon. 

“Because you did… I was doing some research, I would also like a Toxel!”

“Shouldn’t we be focusing on the tour?” Leon asks. 

“Oh, come on Leon! The Wild Area is right outside the city, plus we can explore while we head back to Hammerlocke,” Raihan interjects. 

“It would be nice to be able to start familiarizing myself with some of the native pokemon as well,” you chime in.

“Still…”

“Leon… I’ve been running a league for the past 3 years… Don’t worry I’ll have everything taken care of. Plus I wanted to check out the area around Hammerlocke, since it’s central, I think it would be a good city to move to.”

“Really?!” questions Raihan. 

“Yeah! That whole gothic castle look is to die for too. I’ve had my eye on it since I got here!”

Raihan smiles as he watches you go back to playing with the fire foxes, ‘Things are looking up…’ he thinks happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always: Tell me your thoughts! I love hearing from you!! I hope you all had a great holiday! Cheers to 2020!


	4. Lose You to Love Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories keep you awake and Raihan is there to help you deal with it... no questions asked.

*One Year Ago*

Five challengers…

You had five challengers today and that last one almost got you. Pure exhaustion is the only thing your body processes at the moment. Your team is exhausted and you are beginning to wonder if you asked too much of them today. 

You couldn’t relinquish your title though… Not yet…

Kukui walks into the locker room with his usual smile and excited greeting. 

“That was amazing! You were insane out there!” He praises and you preen under his words. 

“Thanks, Kukui! That last one almost had me…”

“Nah! I knew you wouldn’t lose, that’s why you’re the champion!” he walks up to you and puts his hands on your shoulders giving them a gentle rub.

“You’re really tense though… Maybe you need a spa day or something?”

“Yeah, I think that would be good for me and my team.”

He nods, “I’ll set one up for you! I can’t have my champion getting burnt out!”

In your head, you heard something else entirely. That had been happening a lot lately, you wish he would refer to you as his. You want more from him than just friendship and the immense guilt that comes with those thoughts. You adore him, but you know he’s married. Happily married. Also, his wife is awesome and she’s a friend of yours. Which only amplifies your feelings of guilt. 

“Want to grab dinner? Burnet is staying at the lab tonight. We could get sushi?”

And then he does that…

“Yeah, let’s get dinner! I’m starving!” you readily agree. 

How can you say no to him?

“Great! Get cleaned up and then we’ll head out! We’ll go to our favorite place, yeah?”

“Yeah…”  
*Present Day*

It’s not even anything big that you miss, it’s the little moments like sushi with your best friend, that you had fallen in love with, that you miss the most. You roll over onto your side and heave a sigh gazing at the red numbers of the cheap alarm clock. It’s not even 11 O’clock and you can’t sleep. You tap Rotom to wake him up and apologize as he buzzes sleepily to life. 

“Call Ku-” you stop yourself short, you can’t call him anymore. 

“Call Raihan.”

“Hello?” questions a sleepy Raihan, “Evrthin’ okay?”

“I woke you didn’t I?”

“S’okay….”

“I can’t sleep…”

“What’s wrong?” His voice sounds clearer as he begins to shake the sleep off. 

“You want to get a pizza?”

“Are you inviting me over?”

“…yes…” you murmur hesitantly, unsure of what you want from him exactly. 

“I want meat lovers and I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

You smile to yourself as you pull up the pizza app and place your order for two pizzas. You aren’t surprised when Raihan shows up at your door with the pizzas in hand. 

“He was in the lobby so I just thought I would grab them for us.”

“Thanks… for coming… for everything…”

“No problem! Now, what do you want to do.”

You love that he doesn’t ask what is wrong. That he’s ignoring the way your eyes are a little puffy from crying earlier. That he doesn’t ask questions that you don’t want to answer. He is just here. 

The two of you walk over to the little sitting area in the suite you are in and flip through the new releases. You both eventually settle on a comedy and you don’t really think about it as you rest your head on his shoulder as he drapes his arm around you. You don’t think about the way you curl into his side and you don’t think about how peaceful it is to just sit next to him and laugh at the absurd movie playing before you. You don’t think about the entire pizza the two of you devour each. You don’t think about anything at all except how nice it is that he’s beside you. 

You feel peace for the first time in a long time. 

You wake up the next morning to the sound of a phone ringing. You glance up at Raihan as he stirs and you both blink into the early morning sun shining through the curtains.

“Hello?” Raihan’s voice is gruff with sleep and you suppress a shiver as you bury your face into his neck. You try to convince yourself it’s from cold and not the way his voice sounds coated in sleep. The arm that is already around you gives you a squeeze and you glance up at him. 

“Yeah… Umm…. I’m with (Y/N)…”

“What?! What do you mean you’re with (Y/N)?” You hear Leon say through the receiver.

“She called me last night and asked me to come over so I did. We fell asleep while watching a movie.”

“Okay…”

You pull the phone from Raihan and hold it up to your ear, “What time are you coming? Do you think you can bring Raihan a change of clothes and his toiletries?”

“Umm… yeah… I can… do that… What is happening?” Leon asks in confusion.

“Nothing is happening Leon, we just had a movie night.”

“Okay…”

“Don’t say that like you don’t believe me,” you grumble to the man on the other end. 

“Yes, ma’am!” Leon says somewhere between jokingly and seriously. You aren’t quite sure where he lands, you don’t think he knows either. 

You untangle yourself from Raihan and stretch before you head into the separate bedroom.

“Once I’m done showering you want to go?!” You yell from the bedroom. 

“Sure! You want breakfast? Coffee?”

“Yes to it alllll! Could you get me oatmeal though? That pizza isn’t as good of an idea this morning.”

You hear him laugh, “You got it, my queen! Anything else?”

You smile to yourself at the nickname, or is this a pet name? You aren’t sure at the moment. 

“Nope, I’m good!! Just hurry back! We have to catch a Dreepy today!!” You exclaim all traces of last night washed away in the morning light. 

“Of course, we have to find you a couple of new powerhouses today.”

You giggle at the thought. “I really need to let Cerberus and Luna out for a run today too. Joker too…” you muse aloud to yourself as you pick out your outfit for the day. You can’t help but wonder if Raihan would like it. 

Pulling on a pair of fitted black jeans and a deep blue top, you grab your belt and head out into the living area where Leon and Raihan are whispering among one another. 

“Are you keeping secrets from me?” You ask with a smirk making the duo jump in surprise. 

“Nope! Just guy stuff!” Leon answers his hand rubbing the back of his neck self consciously. 

“Okay…” you murmur before addressing Raihan, “The shower is all yours.” 

“Thanks!” He says with a smirk as he passes you on his way to the bathroom. 

You fix Leon with your gaze and notice the way he swallows subtly. He just might be intimidated by you, this could be fun.

“So what were you two talking about?” You ask as you make your way over to the table and pick up the oatmeal and latte Raihan picked up for you. 

“Nothing… you know just… stuff…”

“Ummm hmm…” you hum as you hold his gaze bringing the coffee to your lips and taking a sip. Your favorite drink swirling on your tongue. The first few times Raihan brought you coffee was a generic order, but this is your order. You blink in surprise as you gaze down at the cup in your hands. 

“You look surprised,” Leon says a sly smirk sliding onto his face.

“It’s my order…” you say as you regard it with surprise.

“Raihan is pretty perceptive if he cares about someone he likes to show them.”

“Cares about them?”

“Yep, he really likes you, just remember that when you call him late at night…”

“What are you implying Leon?” You ask with an edge to your voice. 

“Nothing,” he says as he holds his hands up in surrender. 

“I’m not using Raihan if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I didn’t say it was, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Perhaps think about your implications than before you voice them.”

“Why did you call him last night?”

You pause for a moment as you gaze into your food in thought. 

“Do the thoughts in your head ever get so loud that the only way to quiet them is to pull yourself from your head and into reality?”

“…Yeah…”

“Things got too loud with my past last night and Raihan’s been really sweet about things so I figured…maybe… just him being there would make me feel better… and it did. It’s been so long since I haven’t had to hide myself or feelings from people and it’s just nice. He’s a great person and I really like just hanging out with him.”

Leon blinks at you in surprise. 

“I see… I really didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine, you were looking out for your friend,” you say dismissively as you take a bite of your breakfast. 

The silence that settles over the two of you is heavy as you check the news. You know you will be able to release your team for some much-needed training today, they aren’t used to being this inactive. Once Raihan has finished his shower you all head out into the Wild Area. The minute you step onto the grass you release your team.

Havoc your Garchomp, Ember your Ninetails, Aurora your Aloan Ninetails, Joker your Zoroark, Cerberus your Houndoom, and Lunatik your Midnight Lycanroc are all excited to be out and about. Both guys release their respective teams and you watch in amusement as they race around or play fight. You all leisurely make your away towards the Lake of Outrage.

You are surprised when a storm begins to brew out of nowhere and suddenly you are caught in the rain. Cerberus and Ember are especially displeased with the water and demand to be put back in their homes with Aurora following along quickly behind. The change in weather doesn’t seem to bother Havoc, Joker or Lunatik as the three of them rush ahead of you all only to run back a few moments later. 

“This is perfect!” yells Raihan.

“Perfect?!” you yep back holding the hood of your jacket over your head against the wind. 

“Yeah, the perfect storm for a Toxel…”

You smile as you rush towards the tall grass and begin to look around, it isn’t long until you stumble across several of the little guys all pouting about. You squeal as you take out your poke’balls and throw a few at the surprised baby pokemon. You check the stats to find out the information after deeming them acceptable you send them to your box. 

“Why did you catch three of them?” questions Leon as he comes up behind you. 

“I’m going to send one Hau to congratulate him on being the new champion.”

“You’re pretty close to the kid aren’t you?” Raihan asks. 

“I’ve known him for several years and I have trained him on many occasions.”

“Did you train him to take your place?” Raihan asks. 

“Smart boy,” you say with a smirk as you glance behind you. 

“So you knew you didn’t want to be champion anymore?” Leon throws the questions over his shoulder from the lead. 

“I did. There was a point last year where I knew I needed to start grooming my successor and I chose Hau. I don’t know that he ever really caught on until he beat me in that official match. It’s hero worship you know? You always feel that those you look up to will always be better than you.”

“Yeah… well… you’re still the queen in my book,” Raihan says with a wink as he glances over his shoulder at you. His canine winking at you with his smirk. 

“Thanks, Raihan… The question is: when are you going to ask for that battle you’ve been itching for?”

“How do you know I’ve been itching to battle you?”

“I’ve seen the way you look at Havoc. You want to battle him so badly.”

He laughs, “You caught me! I do want to battle you! Maybe when you’re settled we can go to the ring? Make an event of it?”

“You want your crushing defeat on national television? I can roll with that…”

He barks another laugh, “I may not be so easy to beat…”

“You’re cute when you’re optimistic… I bet you’re downright adorable when you’ve been defeated…”

“I know this is technically supposed to be trash talk but you just called me cute and I’m going to leave it right there. Small victories you know?”

You threw your head back and laughed at him right as a large lake comes into view. You aren’t surprised when a Gyarados pops up out of the water and roars before diving back under. You feel the adrenaline kick up and you love it. 

“This is crazy!” you yell as you peddle on the water bike racing the guys to the other side. Once there you look around at the pokemon in the area and you squeal in excitement. Several types are wandering around that you have never seen before. Quickly you begin to poke around the area with the boys following close behind you. Raihan is leaning against the wall as he watches you hang out in the tall grass. You are very still as you take in the pokemon and the new surroundings. You spend the next few hours asking Leon and Raihan about the pokemon that you come across that you don’t recognize. That is until you see a Dreepy floating close to a nearby rock peeking out at its surroundings. 

Cautiously you creep up on the baby dragon and giggle before you engage it with a pokemon suited for catching it. It isn’t long until you’ve worn it down enough to capture it. 

Pleased with the two baby pokemon you’ve caught today you all decide to continue your trip to Hammerlocke. You head back to the lake and hop onto the bike before you head across the lake. Gazing into the blue sky you feel that new feeling of peace that you are slowly getting familiar with. You aren’t prepared when out of nowhere a Gyrados leaps from the water right below you and sends you under in a matter of seconds. You are disoriented and you aren’t sure which way is up as you tumble about below the currents and the sea snake circles you. You can feel your chest tighten as what little air you have is slowly depleted. Vaguely you are aware of the Gyrados getting closer to you until an attack hits the water and it rears back before rushing towards what you assume is the surface. A blinding light catches your attention in the water and you notice floating beside you is Joker your Zoroark. He quickly grasps your hand before he makes his way to the surface. 

The moment you break the surface of the water you inhale the biggest breath of air of your life. You are dazed and disoriented as you notice Raihan’s Flygon battling the Gyrados as the trainer himself rushes towards you on this bike. You see pieces of your own floating in the water near you, but you brush them away as Raihan hauls you onto this bike. His arms wrap instantly around you before he checks for injuries. 

“Are you okay?!” he asks as he hugs you to him once more satisfied you aren’t in any imminent danger. 

“I am…” you wheeze out. 

“Are you sure?”

“Not really… I’ve had many life or death situations on my travels but this was the best yet…” You lean against Raihan in an attempt to rest and before you really know what happens, your already foggy brain shuts down and you pass out in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long, I had an emergency with my kitty baby and I've had a lot happening at work. I'm happy I was able to get this chapter out, I really like it and I hope you do toooo! Please leave a comment to tell me your thoughts! I always look forward to hearing for you!


	5. Kings and Queens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is okay for a moment as you relax with Raihan! Next up is house hunting and although you wish that trip to Alola would be a vacation, you have bigger fish to fry.

A low growl draws you from the bliss of unconsciousness. Blinking your eyes open you glance over to see Luna, your Midnight Lycanroc emitting a low growl and Raihan with his arms raised in surrender.

“Luna,” your voice is soft as you address your pokemon. “I’m okay, let him pass.”

It’s at that point that you notice your Pokemon are all standing around the bed, glaring at the male with hostility. 

“I’m sorry Raihan…” you murmur as you slowly sit up in the bed, “They aren’t used to you yet and they're very protective.” 

“It’s okay,” he says chuckling nervously still eyeing the Pokemon glaring at him. 

“Play nice everyone! He’s trying to help!” you gently scold them and you watch as Luna’s ears flatten before she makes her way over to you, rubbing her head against yours. 

“It’s okay you didn’t know…”

The others are beside you in a moment and you spend a few minutes convincing your team that you're fine. 

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you take a moment to get your bearings together; noticing you are still damp and you heave a sigh. 

“Do you have some clothes I can borrow?” you ask glancing up at Raihan. 

He jumps as if startled before he makes his way over to the dresser and pulls out a huge sweatshirt and sweatpants. He motions to the bathroom in the corner and lays the clothes on the bed. 

“Raihan?”

“Yeah…?”

“You okay?” You can tell he’s rattled by how quiet he is.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he mutters as he shifts from one foot to the other. Your eyes narrow as you regard the man in front of you. 

“You’re shaken up, and I want to make sure you’re okay,” you say calmly. 

He looks surprised for a moment before a sheepish smile blooms onto his face. 

“I was pretty scared that you were really hurt and I couldn’t get to you. Your Pokemon wouldn’t even let me near you once they realized what was going on…” he trailed off, looking away from you. Standing up you make your way over to him and take his hands in yours. 

“I’m fine and it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t been there I would have died,” you gaze up into his eyes. He blinks in surprise before he pulls one hand away and rubs his neck in discomfort. Looking deeply into your eyes before he looks away, “Please don’t say that…”

“It’s true, you fended off Gyrados and found me in the water after my bike was destroyed. I couldn’t find the surface because I was so disoriented. You saved me. Thank you.”

You pull him forward into you and feel him wrap around you. His strong arms envelop you into a hug and you feel yourself relax. You feel safe.

“I’m just glad you’re okay…” he whispers into your hair. 

You giggle as you pull away, “Well now you have to be my favorite since you saved my life.”

He chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck again, a nervous habit you note. 

“I thought I was already your favorite…” He says with a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

“Well, I couldn’t tell you that… It would make your head even bigger than it already is,” you say with a smirk reaching up to poke his cheek.

He rolls his eyes, “Go get warm, I know you’re freezing. I’ve ordered dinner and it should be here soon,” he says as he bats your hand away. 

You head towards the bathroom with a smile, the chill in your bones suddenly very apparent without your pokemon hovering around you or Raihan’s warmth. 

The water is almost scalding as you stand under the stream. Your feet and hands are still freezing despite the temperature of the water. It takes a few minutes before the warmth fully encompasses you and you feel good enough to actually lather up. His body wash is a clean fresh manly scent. You wash quickly and jump out of the shower getting dressed in the clothes he lent you. 

You walk out of the bedroom and head towards the sound of voices. Turning the corner into the living room you see Leon and Raihan lounging on his sofa, black leather, and plush but expensive looking. You notice the way that Raihan stops mid sentence and his eyes widen as he looks at you in awe. You blush under his gaze and avoid his eyes. No one has ever looked at you like that before. Especially when you’re in baggy oversized clothes that swallow you whole. Leon glances at Raihan out of the corner of his eyes to see his friend frozen in place. He elbows him, making Raihan jolt to attention and glare over his friend. Leon tilts his head towards you and you hide your smile as Raihan glances between the two of you for a moment before his eyes widen and he gets up suddenly.

“Feel better?” he asks nervously, his gaze intense as he holds your eyes. 

“Yeah, much better,” you say with a relieved smile. 

“Good, good… I ordered pizza, hope that’s okay?” 

“Yeah! It’s great! I’m starving!” 

You head over to the couch and plop down leaning your head back. A few moments later a drink is dangling before you. 

“You should drink something that isn’t pond water,” Raihan says, holding the drink more insistently towards you. 

You blink in surprise as you take the glass of water from him and start sipping on it. Quietly you thank him as the three of you sit in silence for a few minutes. You can tell the guys are reflecting on what happened. You can tell that they are shaken up by the events of your incident. 

“I think we should postpone the tour,” Leon declares into the air. 

Both you and Raihan turn towards him in surprise. “We still have five gyms to visit and you have to find and get settled into a house and start your duties as Chair-woman. I think we should just have a meeting before the opening ceremony, so you can meet the gym leaders and then you can tour the gyms at your leisure.”

“I think that’s a good idea… Today kinda got me, I’m not gonna lie,” you heave a sigh, recalling how scared you were of the wild Gyarados. 

“You can stay here for the night if you want? I have a guest room,” Raihan says as he holds your gaze, “Then we can get you in touch with a realtor tomorrow.”

“Are you sure Hammerlocke is where you want to move to? Wyndon is where the action is!” Leon interjects.

“I’m not really one for huge cities. Alola wasn’t very big and I got used to having smaller towns there and it’s nice to know your neighbors. Hammerlocke seems to be just the perfect mix of city and town and I like that.”

“Raihan should be able to help with that since he knows the area better than me.”

“And you would get lost in a paper bag if we let you,” Raihan interjects with a smirk. 

Leon glares over at his friend even if he knows it's true. 

“Well, on that note, I’m going to head home. Rest up and I’ll see you in Wyndon soon so we can get started on prepping for the new season!” 

“You aren’t staying for dinner?” you ask in confusion.

“No, I’m going to head out. I really need to get a workout and some training in. I can’t have anyone taking my title this year!”

You wave at him as he heads out the door a confused smile on your face at the chipper champion. 

“He’s…” you begin.

“Don’t even try…” Raihan says with a laugh.

You just nod in understanding as you turn towards the man beside you, an amused look on your face. The two of you just share a look and end up laughing.

There is a knock on the door signifying that the food has arrived. Raihan jumps up to answer the door. You follow Raihan into the kitchen where he sets the bags of food and grabs plates for the two of you. There is an assortment of food on the counter and it smells delicious. 

“Thanks Raihan! This looks amazing.”

“Anything for you, my Queen,” he says with a wink as he hands you the plate. 

You roll your eyes at his antics but you can’t help but love the attention he gives you. 

“Does that mean when we get married I get a crown? I’ve always wanted one!” you say with a giggle. 

He chuckles as he spoons food onto his plate. 

“I’ve already told you anything you want is yours. You want a crown, you’ve got a crown.”

You lean back against the counter and look up at his ceiling lost in thought.

“When I find a place…” you pause as if you aren’t ready to say the words, “I’m going to have to go back to…”

“Get your things?” He asks with furrowed brows shooting you a look of confusion. 

“Among other things…” you say softly as you regard him solemnly.

“Does this have anything to do with last night?”

You look away from him and cross your arms across your chest. You can feel yourself just cave in. A frown mars your features as you regard the wall opposite you. 

“If you want,” He’s hesitant to speak as if doing so would break you, “I could… go with you?”

You whip your head around to face him an incredulous look on your face, “You want to fly all the way to Alola to help me move?” 

“No, I want to fly all the way to Alola to catch a Drampa.... and be there for you if you need someone.”

Your eyes soften at the man in front of you, “You don’t…. Have to do that…” 

“Maybe I just want to?” he says with a smirk as he holds a piece of shrimp out to you. You reach your fingers out to take it from him but he just pulls it back and shakes his head. You narrow your eyes at him as he just crooks his finger at you, beckoning you to come closer to him. You take a step towards him and roll your eyes as he just holds it out to you again. 

“Come on open up, you’re going to love this,” he pleas as he dangles the morsel in front of you. 

“And you have to feed it to me?” you ask in amusement. 

“I like to pamper my queen…” he says regarding you with a lazy smile. 

You can’t deny him, especially with everything he’s done for you, and you just simply ignore the part of you that admits you don’t want to. You take another step forward so you are almost pressed against him and open your mouth as you look up at him through your lashes. You hold back a smirk as you notice him swallow before he lowers the shrimp into your mouth. He closes his eyes as he pulls away, your lips catching the just tip of his fingers. 

“Why do I have the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?” he asks as he looks down at you. His eyes are a little hazy as he brushes his knuckles down your arm as if all he wants to do is touch you. 

“Well,” you say turning away from him, “I probably am, but if it makes you feel any better, you’ll probably be the death of me too…” you turn on your heel and send him a wink over your shoulder as you make you way back out into the living room Raihan following along behind you.

You hear him groan from behind you. “Does that mean you’re falling for my charm and dashing good looks?”

He smirks lazily at you as he does to all the cameras when he’s won a fight. You know that look and you aren’t sure you’re ready to let him know just how much of an effect he has on you. It’s too soon… Plus you have to deal with Kukui and that is another situation entirely. 

“Or I can’t stop thinking about all the trouble you’re going to cause me as Chairwoman…” you say innocently as you take a bite of your dinner. 

“Shot through the heart again!” he says as he dramatically grips his chest, his plate balanced in his lap. 

You laugh as you grab a pillow off of his couch and smack him in the face with it. He laughs as he grabs the pillow and sets it down before putting his plate on the side table next to him. Getting up he grabs your plate of food as well, putting it next to his.

“Hey! What are you-?” 

He tackles you to the couch as he begins to tickle you. You squeal his name as you throw your head back and attempt to get out of his grasp. 

“No! Raihan!!” 

“What? I thought you wanted to play though?” he asks innocently as he pulls away so you can breathe. 

You scowl up at him, “You did that on purpose…”

His smile is sly as you go to push him off of you. He doesn’t resist instead he just grabs your food and hands it to you as if he hadn’t just attacked you with tickles. He shrugs as he sits back on the couch and pulls his own plate back into his lap and chuckles as you pout. 

“What’s the matter princess? Not like when you lose?” 

Your mouth drops open as you regard the man before you in mock offense. Raihan just laughs at your reaction, “Excuse you…. You just attacked me out of nowhere!”

“Excuse you! You hit me with a pillow, so I retaliated and won.”

“Who said you won?” you challenge. 

“Oh? You didn’t admit defeat? Allow me to fix that…” You leap up from the couch as Raihan begins to creep towards you. You squeal in excitement as he chases you through the house, around the kitchen table, and back through the living room. You know he’s just playing around, his legs are long enough that if he wanted to catch you no doubt you would have been caught. 

Raihan sends you a feral grin from the opposite side of the table. You are now facing off with the Dragon Tamer and you love this side of him. You narrow your eyes as you regard him trying to predict his next move. He fakes to left before going right and instead of running you let him catch you and slide your arms around his waist. The demure look on your face as you regard him through your lashes has the man reeling as he steadies himself, arms wrapping around you so you both don’t go tumbling to the floor. 

“So you give up?” he asks panting. 

“Nope… But I did win…” 

“How?” 

You slide your hands up under his shirt and smirk to yourself as his breath hitches in his throat. 

“What are you-”

Your hands slide along his abs distracting him before you dig your fingers into his sides and Raihan doubles over in laughter. 

“Wait! Stop!” he wheezes as you attack him with tickles of your own. You giggle as you bring the Dragon Tamer to his knees. His hands going to yours to try to stop the attack. With a laugh of your own you stop and you both catch your breath as you lean against one another. 

“I’ll be honest…” he begins between deep breaths, “I wasn’t expecting that…”

“I’m full of surprises!” you chuckle as you pull away from him. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says with a smirk as he bumps his hips against yours as you make your way back to the couch. 

“Movie?” he asks out of the corner of his eyes?

“Yes, please!” 

The two of you spend the rest of the night watching ridiculous comedies and making fun of over-dramatic acting. As you drift off to sleep that night, your head resting on Raihan’s shoulder for the second night in a row, you wonder why all days can’t end like this one. 

***  
The next morning dawns and there is no way you can sleep on a couch for another night, your back will simply not allow it. You groan as you sit up and feel a pair of arms pull you back against a strong chest. Blinking, you glance back at Raihan and notice the peaceful expression on his face. He’s still asleep as he pulls you against him and mumbles something in his sleep. You giggle to yourself and try to gently remove his arms from around you. You’re successful and gingerly go to get to your feet before you feel strong arms wrap around you from behind and pull you back down. This time you’re a little startled and let out a squeak before you turn towards the grinning male behind you. 

“Thought you could escape?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.

“Well I was going to surprise you with breakfast and coffee as a thank you for all the times you brought me breakfast but you insist upon ruining everything.”

His smile only widens at your reply, “Well, by all means, surprise away!”

You shake your head as you lean forward to get up and his arms fall away. You won’t admit to yourself that the warmth was comforting or that the way he held you made you feel safe and cared for. You would, however, push the thoughts from your mind and make your way to the kitchen. After some searching you find everything you need for a simple breakfast and begin to make sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches on toasted bread. You start the sausage and begin to whip up the eggs. You had noticed that he seemed to favor sausage when he would pick you up in the morning, the bag having the distinct scent of the sandwich lingering behind. You hear the shower start in the other room and put on a pot of coffee. Sliding cheese onto the cooking egg, you toast the bread adding butter, before you build the sandwich. 

Raihan walks into the kitchen in a loose black tank and dark wash jeans. 

“No uniform today?” you ask as you take in his appearance. 

“We’ve got some house hunting to do, so I figured I could be casual today,” you notice the blazer he puts over the chair and the wink he sends your way. 

“I like it! I just realized I’ve never seen you in street clothes before.”

“League business requires the uniform,” he says with a shrug as he comes up behind you, “What’s this?” He asks, his hands casually resting on your waist as he looks over your shoulder at the food. You’ve known this man less than a week you’re astonished at how easy it is for you to let him this close to you. 

“Sausage, egg, and cheese? I hope you like it,” you say with an almost embarrassed smile. 

He looks surprised for a moment. “They’re my favorite actually! How did you know?”

“I always smelt sausage when you would bring me breakfast in the morning, so I figured you liked it.”

His smile is like the sun as he takes one of the sandwiches, wrapped up in a napkin, and plated for him. He closes his eyes and groans at the bite and you know he likes it. You hide your pleased smile behind your own breakfast. 

The two of you eat in relative silence, both of you are still waking up as you sip on coffee. After you have finished eating, you excuse yourself to get ready and come out about forty-five minutes later ready to start the day. 

“I contacted my realtor and he agreed to meet with us today, are you ready to go?” Raihan asks as he slips his blazer on, a pair of sunglasses replacing the orange band he usually wears. 

“Yeah, let’s go!” you say as you grab your purse and head out the door behind him. The walk to the reality office is relatively short and you both make small talk along the way. Once there, you meet with a tall man with cropped dark hair and deep brown eyes. He’s maybe a little older than Raihan and you can see instantly why the two get along. There are a few metals from Pokemon tournaments hanging on his wall and a photo of him and his team. His eyes widen the moment they land on you.

“No… When you told me that we were looking at a house for the new Chairwoman I wasn’t expecting… Wow… So sorry… I just… You’re the Alola Champion!”

“Former Alola Champion, current Galar Chairwoman,” you say with a smile as you shake his hand. 

“Right right! Sorry about the loss…” he seems unsure of how to react to his slip up, so you decide to help him out. 

“Don’t worry about it! I’m not! I was ready for a new adventure. I’ve considered trying my hand at specialty breeding, do you have any place with a bit of land?”

“Do I have any place with a bit of land?! Of course! Let’s sit down and take a look.” 

You spend about thirty minutes browsing the places he has available before you settle on a few to go tour. You head outside and Brenden, your realtor, calls for a Corviknight taxi. 

“Raihan you don’t have to go with me, you know, I’ve done this before alone,” you say, turning to the man beside you.

“Do you not want me to go?” he asks with his brows furrowed, looking a little hurt at the thought. 

“No! I just figured you would have more to do than follow me around and help me pick out a house.”

“Well if I don’t follow you around and help you pick out a house, how will I know if I like it enough to move in when we get married?” he asks with a cheeky grin. 

You smile and shake your head as you regard the man before, “Very true! I didn’t think about that. Forgive me for not taking your feelings on our future home into consideration.”

“Nothing to forgive, we just have to make sure that there is ample space for the Pokemon and I would like man cave for Friday night poker with the lads.”

You throw your head back and laugh at his suggestion.

“How do you know I don’t want your Friday nights?” you ask with a smirk and bat of your lashes.

He raises a brow. “Well I suppose I could be convinced to turn the guys away if my lady wants my attention.” 

The look he sends you is almost sinful and you just blink innocently back at him. It’s about that time that the taxi arrives and you both pile in after Brenden. You spend the next few hours flying from one house to another, touring the homes with Raihan at your side. You almost laugh at how domestic it is. 

You and Raihan spend the next couple of days touring houses and properties. During that time Brenden had asked you both several times if you were sure you weren’t together, about to move in with one another, or getting married. Every time either of you said ‘no’ he became more confused. You couldn’t blame him really, the ease the two of you felt with one another for only just meeting was unheard of. The almost incessant flirting coupled with the care the two of you showed the other was that of two lovers not two almost strangers. Regardless, you found Raihan to be an excellent house-hunting partner and friend, and the next time that barista looks at him with dreamy eyes you were going to throw your coffee at her.

Finally, the day comes when you find it. The house of your dreams. It’s a cottage made of stone with flowering vines growing up its front. The peaks of the house come to perfect points and the chimney growing from the center immediately speaks of cozy nights by the fire. There is a small stream that runs through the edges of the property with an expansive garden and a couple of acres of land. The back of the house has a sunroom that begs to be filled with plants and cozy furniture. 

“If you’re wanting to start breeding Pokemon, there is a field up for sale connecting to this one. It’s owned by a different person, but it connects and you should be able to make an offer on it as well,” Brenden says as he watches you tour the inside. The kitchen is done in an off white with wooden beams showcasing the vaulted ceiling. The living area has a window seat and the fireplace looks inviting with a stone mantle. The bedrooms are cozy but spacious and although it’s not a huge house, it’s not tiny either. You love it. 

“Oh this is perfect!” you say happily. 

“The best part? It’s only about ten minutes outside of the city! And it has a basement…”

“Huh?” Raihan says as he glances over at Brenden who just sends him a meaningful look.

You chuckle as you follow him into the basement where there is a small kitchen and ample space for entertaining. 

“You know… for your poker nights with the… what did you call them? Lads?” you ask as you come down the stairs. 

“I thought you wanted my Friday nights?” The smirk he sends you sends a shiver through your body.

“A lady needs her space as well,” you say with a wink.

You chuckle at one another as you regard the space. “This will be great for entertaining and lounging.” 

“I knew you would think so,” Brenden says as he begins to go over the figures of the house and neighboring property. 

“I want to put in an offer, this place is too perfect to pass up!” You squeal. 

Raihan nods as he continues to inspect the house, “I think this place is perfect for you. I think your pokemon will love it too.”

You turn and smile brightly at him, “Thanks Raihan! This was so much easier with you here…” 

“Anytime, my queen,” he says with a wink. “Anytime…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait on the update! I sincerely hoped you like this chapter! I would like to thank my Betas Pluto, Tay, and Jane for helping me brainstorm and edit! Please drop some love and your thoughts below!


	6. Shameless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You arrive in Alola to tie up loose ends and pack up. Good thing your 'Emotional Support Raihan' is there with you or you might just loose it on this trip.

Gazing out the window at the fluffy clouds next to you, you try to keep your nerves at bay. Going back to Alola isn’t really what you want to be doing at this exact moment and, yet you know there are loose ends to tie up. 

“You okay, beautiful?” Raihan asks from his seat next to you, offering you a snack as his eyes take in your form. 

“Yeah… just nervous I guess… going back is going to be hard. There are a lot of ...things… that need to be said.”

“Well, just consider me your emotional support Raihan, I’ll be there when you need me,” he says, his smile not quite meeting his eyes. 

You roll your eyes as you glance over at him but you can’t keep the smile off of your face. 

“Thank’s Rai… This might just be more than you bargained for though.”

Raihan scoffs in disbelief, his hands gripping the arms of the plane seat just a little tighter, “you know I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be, right?”

“Still… I shouldn’t have just up and left… A lot of people are very upset with me.”

“They’ll get over it,” he says with a confidence that you don’t feel. The bit of turbulence that rocks the plane has him pulling you against him. “Raihan… Are you scared of flying?”

He scoffs again, “of course not!”

He can’t hide the whimper in his voice when the plane shakes again unexpectedly. 

His arms wrap around you tighter as he pulls you in for probably the fifteenth selfie that day. Clearly the man is trying to calm his nerves with a photo.

“Raihan! Don’t you have enough?” You practically whine at him. 

“Pictures of you? Never!” He says while flashing you a devilishly handsome smile, it becomes one of panic as the plane dips and his hold tightens once more. 

“Hey! Looks like we’re almost there!” You exclaim trying to calm your ‘emotional support Raihan’ down. About that time you hear the captain come over the intercom system announcing your arrival in Alola and that you would be landing soon. 

“Are you ready for the madness?” You ask, glancing over at Raihan out of the corner of your eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh… You’ll see…”

Stepping off of the plane into the Alolan sun is both a comfort and the moment you’ve been dreading most. You can hear many voices in the crowd whispering about you as you square your shoulders and make your way through the airport. Raihan’s hand is on the small of your back as he guides you through the crowd. You don’t pay much attention to the cameras suddenly going off in all directions and the microphones thrust into your face. They yell questions at you from all angles, and despite Raihan’s best attempt at shielding you from the madness, you knew this was going to happen. 

You slide into the waiting car with Raihan right behind you. He sighs the moment the door is closed then looks over at you, “are you okay? I wasn’t expecting that…”

“I was…” You murmur as you turn to gaze out the window at the scenery passing by. Once upon a time, this had been your dream home, but now it feels vaguely like a nightmare you can’t wake up from. You close your eyes as an array of memories assault your mind and you rest your forehead against the glass. 

Raihan remains silent as he watches you and it’s clear he isn’t sure what to do. You arrive at your old place as Raihan gazes around in wonder. There is a large dome encompassing what would be your backyard and he can hardly believe all the Pokemon that are milling about. 

“There are…”

“Pretty cool, huh?” You smirk. 

He just nods in awe as he follows you into your house. 

The sound of footsteps alerts you to another presence in your home and Acerola barrels around the corner. She stops abruptly when she sees you and a look of wide-eyed wonder dances across the fourteen-year-old’s face before she glares and places her hands on her hips as she regards you with barely contained anger. 

You turn towards Raihan, “there is a guest room upstairs to the left. Why don’t you get settled then we will talk about dinner, kay?”

Raihan just nods as he glances between the two of you before he grabs your suitcase as well as his and makes his way up the stairs. He glances back just once to take in your expression and you give him an encouraging smile before you turn to the teen who is like your little sister. 

“You left,” she states forlornly, tears in the corners of her eyes. 

“I know… I wasn’t thinking…”

“You didn’t even answer your phone for two days!” Acerola yells, tears lacing her words more than her anger. 

You looked away from her and just nodded, “let’s go sit down so we can talk.”

“I don’t want to talk! I want to yell at you!”

“That’s okay too,” you say patiently.

It’s at that moment she bursts into tears and rushes towards you, you catch her in your arms and hold her while she sobs against you. 

“You left…” she sobs while she holds you. 

“I know… But I had to…”

“WHY?”

“I couldn’t stay here anymore,” you murmured sadly. 

“I thought you loved us! Was losing to Hau really that bad?” She asks with a hiccup. 

“I do love you… I just…” You looked away as you held back the tears threatening to spill.

“What?” She asks quietly.

“I had to… Get away…”

“From us?” Acerola asks her voice cracking.

You pull her back and look into her eyes, “no. Not from your or Hau.”

“Then from who?”

You look away from her, unable to look her in the eye as you try to keep your emotions in check.

“WHO?!” She screams in impatience. 

“Kukui…”

She jerks back in confusion, “The professor?! Why? I don’t understand! You guys are best friends!”

“Yes… We are best friends, but…”

“But what?” She asks, steeling her voice. 

“I love him… As more than a friend…” You become silent at the last part as if you are afraid of saying it out loud. Have you ever said it out loud before?

“But… He’s… Married. You can’t love him like that!” she says shock in her voice.

“I know Acerola… That’s why I can’t stay here. I fell in love with my best friend and I can’t have him…”

“I’m sure you can just… Get over it right? Get over him?” She asks, confusion and desperation lacing her words.

“I’ve tried…” you wrap your arms around yourself and try to look anywhere else but at Acerola. 

“So you’re leaving,” her voice is cold.

“I have to… For me…” you reply softly.

“I hate you!” She seethes before she storms out of your front door. You wince as it slams shut behind her. 

“You okay?” Raihan asks after a few moments of you just standing in your entrance foyer. 

You look up at him with tears falling down your face and shake your head no. He quickly takes the stairs two at a time to get to you before he scoops you up into his arms. Sobs wrack your body as Raihan holds you close against him, comforting you the best he can. You knew when you came back you would be mourning the life you would never have as much as the one you are leaving behind. 

You don’t know how long you stay like that, the emotions are suffocating, but you can’t bring yourself to let go of Raihan. He has become your rock in a lot of ways that you didn’t expect him to. You pull back eventually and give him a watery smile. 

“I’m okay…” You croak out, “let’s grab something to eat…”

He just nods as his eyes ask if you are sure. You give him a reassuring smile as you pull away completely before you finally head deeper into the house half expecting Hau to be around the corner ready to yell at you as well. You make your way into the kitchen and slump onto a bar stool, folding your arms on the counter and resting your head in them you take a deep breath. 

Pulling yourself fully together you pull out your phone and pull up a delivery app, “want a rice bowl or something?”

“Uhh… Sure!” Raihan says as he leans over your shoulder, his hand resting on the counter next to your arm. You can feel the warmth radiating off of him as he’s just mere inches from your back. Glaring down at the app you try to ignore the way he makes you feel, mentally telling yourself that you don’t have time for that right now. 

After placing your orders you lean back in your seat as Raihan takes a seat across from you at the counter. 

“You want to talk about it?” he finally asks, breaking the silence. 

“What is there to talk about? I ran away from everyone when I ran away from Kukui…”

“The professor is the one who you’re running from, right?”

“He is…”

“Because he’s married?”

“And I love him…”

“Does he know?” Raihan asks after a beat of silence. 

“I- I don’t… know…” You sigh and try to look anywhere but at him. 

“Hey… It’s okay, you don’t have to be ashamed of your feelings for him, okay? You’re doing what’s right for you now and people need to understand that. If they don’t, that’s on them.”

You wipe the tears from the corners of your eyes as you sniff. You nod softly before you gaze up at him, “thank you,” you whisper as you reach out to him.

Raihan takes your hand in his and gives a gentle squeeze. He holds your gaze before he draws you closer to him, bringing your entwined hands to his chest, “you know you’re amazing right?”

You smile and look away, “Stop Rai…”

“I mean it, Kukui isn’t the man for you, you are not meant to be second best to anyone you know that right?”

You look at him to see a serious expression on his handsome face. A soft smile blossoms onto your face as you gaze back at him, “I know…”

“Good, and don’t you forget it,” he says with a wink.

You hear the doorbell and Raihan jumps up, “I’ll get it, it’s probably the food!” 

The commotion at the front door isn’t that of polite delivery services. You come around the corner to see Raihan blocking the door for the person on the other side. 

“Listen man… Now isn’t a good time…” You hear Raihan say with forced calmness.

“I need to talk to her. Who even are you?” You recognize the voice instantly.

“That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that she needs to rest before anything else gets hurled at her today,” you don’t miss the slight growl to Raihan’s voice. You can tell he’s starting to get annoyed with him.

“So you’re making decisions for her, cuz? What are you, her boyfriend?” The familiar voice spits back in disdain. 

“Kukui… Now isn’t a good time,” you say making your presence known to them both. 

Raihan whips around to face you, concern evident in his teal eyes. You simply nod to him with assurance.

“We need to talk!” You hear Kukui practically yell from around Raihan.

“Later,” is your only reply before you turn around and walk back into the kitchen. You hear a heavy sigh just before you round the corner. The faint voice of Raihan echoes in the entrance foyer but you don’t pay attention. Heading down the hallway leading off of your kitchen, you make your way to the habitat outside. The lush gardens that your pokemon inhabit are gorgeous and soothing. It’s easily one of your favorite places in the house. You were going to miss this.

“This is amazing,” you hear Raihan say with wonder in his voice as he comes up behind you. 

“It’s my favorite place in the world,” you say, glancing over your shoulder at him. You can see the way he’s studying you to gauge your reaction to what just happened. 

“You’re okay?” He asks for confirmation. 

“I am,” you say with finality to your voice, “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

“To talk to him?”

“For closure… I’m ready to move on to something better, and brighter.”

“I’m better…” Raihan says with faux innocence as he wraps an arm around you casually, “I mean we are getting married, so I must be, right?”

You laugh for the first time all day, “you are better, definitely better.” 

You don’t see the grin on his face or the way he looks at you as if the sun rises and sets with you. You just know that Raihan feels safe and that whatever happens in the future, as long as he is there, it will be much brighter. 

***

After you both have eaten, you grab Raihan and throw one of the gaudy Alola print shirts he insisted upon buying at him, instructing him to put it on. 

“Where are we going?” he asks, excitement in his eyes. 

“The beach,” you say with a smile before throwing on a cute sundress for the walk. You miss the look on Raihan’s face as he takes in your form in the cute dress. 

“So, you’re trying to kill me, is that it?” He asks as he follows you out the door.

You glance over your shoulder at him, “what do you mean?”

“Have you seen yourself? You look amazing in that dress!”

You smirk over your shoulder at him, “well if you like it so much then…”

“What?” He asks eagerly as you pause. 

“Nothing…” You say innocently as you make your way towards the beach not even 100-feet from your house. 

“Hey now! You better finish what you started with that sentence!” 

You giggle before you take off towards the water, the sunset painting the sky hues of reds, oranges, and golds. You feel your body relax as your feet hit the chilly waves, Raihan wrapping his arms around you when he finally catches up. You stumble at the impact but remain upright as Raihan chuckles pulling you back against him. 

“I can see why you moved here,” Raihan remarks suddenly still. A breeze sends a shiver down your spine aided by the cool water and setting sun. Raihan pulls you closer, your back to his chest as you watch the sunset over the horizon. 

“It’s beautiful,” you murmur, still transfixed by the colors it’s displaying. 

“It still doesn’t have anything on you…” He murmurs in your ear, sending a shiver down your spine that has nothing to do with the cold. You turn in his arms and gaze up into his eyes. You’ve come to trust those deep teal eyes and you adore them.

“Raihan,” you whisper, his name is a prayer on your lips as you gaze up at him through your lashes.

Raihan pulls you against him as his hand comes up to caress your cheek, his thumb brushes over your lips before he dips his head. His nose brushes yours in a light tease as his breath fans your face and you swallow a groan as his arm tightens around your waist. Had there been even an inch of space between your bodies, it was gone now. 

He hums as he leans down to brush his lips against yours, but before he is able to, a familiar voice cuts through the peaceful moment like a knife. 

“(Y/N)! There you are! Oh! Am I interrupting something?”

“Actually, yes,” Raihan says in annoyance turning to glare at Kukui.

Pulling away from Raihan, you turn to Kukui standing on the beach in his signature look, lab coat open to reveal a toned chest and his cropped pants lower on his hips than you remember. You pull back from Raihan completely, who only looks annoyed not only at the interruption but the very man standing before you.

“Kukui… What are you doing here?” You ask as you take a couple of steps away from Raihan towards Kukui. Raihan’s narrowed eyes following your every step.

“We need to talk about why you left.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! More to come soon! A special thanks to Tay and Pluto for Betaing!


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